| variable | 1980-1989 | 1990-1999 | 2000-2007 | 2008-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| real gdp growth | 6.13 | 4.42 | 5.29 | 1.7 | 3.47 | -0.2 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
| CPI % | 6.99 | 9.12 | 6.57 | 14.85 | 7.51 | 29.2 | 23.4 | 4.5 | 7.2 | 8.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.38 | 5.78 | 7.05 | 5.55 | 6.2 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 6.5 |
| Debt/GDP % | - | 56.04 | 52.54 | 55.65 | 64.17 | 78.5 | 70.2 | 72.8 | 70.1 | 67.1 |
| Current account balance/GDP % | -1.72 | -2.31 | -0.79 | -3.45 | -2.12 | -1.0 | -0.6 | 0.5 | -0.4 | -0.9 |
Data derived from World Economic Outlook Database. To see main macroeconomic indicator in graphs click here
The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of modern-day Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The partition in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India created lasting tension between the two countries. They have fought two wars and a limited conflict -- in 1947-48, 1965, and 1999 respectively -- over the Kashmir territory, a dispute that continues to this day. A third war in 1971 -- in which India assisted an indigenous movement reacting to Bengali marginalization in Pakistani politics -- resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. Pakistan has been engaged in a decades-long armed conflict with militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant networks that target government institutions and civilians.
Area: 796,095 sq km km2
Climate: mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Natural resources: arable land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Groups: Punjabi 44.7%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.4%, Sindhi 14.1%, Saraiki 8.4%, Muhajirs 7.6%, Baloch 3.6%, other 6.3%
Languages: Punjabi 38.8%, Pashto (alternate name, Pashtu) 18.2%, Sindhi 14.6%, Saraiki (a Punjabi variant) 12.2%, Urdu 7.1%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2.4%, Brahui 1.2%, other 2.4%
Religions: Muslim 96.4%, Hindu 1.6%, Christian 1.4%; less than 1%: scheduled castes, Qadiani/Ahmadi, other, Sikh. (2020 est.)
Capital: Islamabad
Government type: federal parliamentary republic
Chief of state: President Asif Ali ZARDARI (since 10 March 2024)
Head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz SHARIF (since 3 March 2024)
Description: Parliament (Majlis-E-Shoora) - bicameral
lower middle-income South Asian economy; extremely high debt; endemic corruption; regional disputes with India and Afghanistan hinder investment; falling inflation, IMF relief programs, and strong agricultural output slowly contributing to economic recovery
textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp
GDP by sector: Agriculture: 23.5% (2024 est.), Industry: 20% (2024 est.), Services: 50.5% (2024 est.)
Export partners: USA 14%, UAE 10%, China 9%, Germany 7%, UK 6% (2023)
Export commodities: garments, fabric, refined petroleum, rice, cotton fabric (2023)
Import partners: China 25%, Qatar 11%, UAE 9%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Indonesia 6% (2023)
Import commodities: natural gas, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, palm oil, plastics (2023)
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north
Military expenditure: 2024: 2.5% of GDP (2024 est.)
Information derived from worldfactbook.io (Lupon Media), open successor to the CIA World Factbook. Data sourced from World Bank, IMF, UN and other international organizations.